Suspended from the ceiling of Luigi Prina's studio is a gorgeous alternate history of flight. He builds delicate vessels from balsa wood, paper, and elastic bands, that are light enough to sail through the air.

Prina worked as an architect for 50 years, but always had an interest in aircraft, having built model ships since he was a boy. Over the last 20 years, he has constructed some 200 ships, their propellers armed with special rubber bands he imports from Japan. The tiny ships each weigh no more than two ounces, allowing them to stay aloft.

You can see photographs of some of the ships on Prina's website, but I recommend heading over to Blinking City, which has some truly lovely photographs of Prina's ships and studio and more details about how he brings these creations to life.